Vivian Davis Figures on War & Peace

Democratic Senate Challenger; member of State Senate

Bush sent troops to war on erroneous claims

Sessions and Figures disagree almost totally on the record of President Bush. Sessions supports Bush's tax cuts and the Iraq invasion, while Figures deplores an administration that plunged the nation's surplus into the red and sent troops to war on
erroneous claims.

On the Iraq war, Sessions said he "could not be more proud and pleased with the success of the surge and the progress in the last two years."

"I think if we can continue this progress in Iraq and it emerges as a strong and
decent country that's independent and stable, it would be a very positive development for the Middle East," said Sessions, who has visited U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and neighboring countries multiple times as a member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee.

Figures said she was not in a position to visit Iraq or Afghanistan. "I was against the war from the beginning," she said. She said no weapons of mass destruction were found. "Iraq was not responsible for 9/11," she said.

Mideast less stable than before we invaded Iraq

Figures said, "I don't think the Middle East is more stable than it was prior to our invasion of Iraq." She said she would listen to the military leadership on deciding when to withdraw from Iraq "to not cause more harm."

Sessions said he hopes the
US can withdraw "as soon as we possibly can. That's my goal." He said announcing a withdrawal timetable would be a "mistake--clearly not sound policy. It just tells our enemy when they should be prepared to attack."